


wait and hope to be dragged inside

by biblionerd07



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/F, Getting Together, Multi, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Post-Episode: Whiskey Lullaby, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-12-03 01:51:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11522046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/biblionerd07/pseuds/biblionerd07
Summary: Xavier doesn't know where he fits in anymore.





	wait and hope to be dragged inside

Xavier knows he shouldn’t stare at Wynonna. It’s an urge he’s been battling for a long time now, but for different reasons. He knows she’s still not even totally on board with being pregnant herself—his staring is freaking her out. But he can’t help it.

He mostly keeps it together while they’re talking about the job. It’s not easy with Waverly and Nicole happily holding hands at the table while he _aches_ for what he can’t have, but that’s not exactly new. Planning doesn’t go all that well, since Wynonna’s idea of a plan is, “I’ll just keep killing demons until I pop.”

Xavier looks at Doc. “And you’re okay with that?” It’s the first time he’s acknowledged…that. That Doc has a say in Wynonna. Or, rather, in Wynonna’s baby. Xavier isn’t stupid enough to suggest _anyone_ has a say in Wynonna, except maybe Waverly.

Doc raises his eyebrows, shrugs. “You can’t stop an Earp. I don’t see any problem as long as being in the family way does not impact her aim.”

“Unless it makes it better,” Nicole says. Everyone stares at her and she shrugs. “Just saying.”

“Aren’t you worried about the baby getting hurt?” Jeremy asks. “Babies are like…fragile.”

“Hey, this kid’s an Earp,” Waverly defends her unborn niece or nephew. “That’s gonna be a tough baby.”

But the real blow comes after the meeting ends. It’s innocuous enough; Doc hands Wynonna a mug of tea. But he brushes his hand across her shoulder as he hands it to her, and she looks up at him and smiles and…Xavier gets up and leaves. He should be happy for them. He will be, maybe, at some point. He just needs time. And some space.

He can’t leave, though. For one thing, he rode with Nicole and Jeremy from the station, and for another—well. He just worries, is all. He’s not going to leave them all unprotected. Not that they can’t take care of themselves. But still. He sits on the top step and watches his breath rise in clouds around him. After a few minutes, the door opens behind him. It’s Doc. Xavier closes his eyes for a second, almost in physical pain.

“You left your coat,” Doc says, draping it around Xavier’s shoulders.

“Thanks,” Xavier says.

There’s quiet between them, and then Doc says, “You are hurting her, you know.”

It’s all the opening Xavier needs. “By not immediately being okay with this? I thought we were…” He shakes his head. “Now I’m the odd man out and I’m supposed to just be her friend again like nothing’s wrong?”

Doc blows out a breath and sits down beside Xavier. “She cares for you,” he says plainly.

“She’s having your baby,” Xavier points out tiredly.

Doc inclines his head. The little smile he can’t quite keep off his face would be sweet if Xavier didn’t feel like he was being completely cut out. “She did not exactly choose to do that.”

That’s true. Having a baby is pretty much the last thing on Wynonna’s to-do list. And then the whole magic-sleep thing took away any options she might’ve had.

“But you two are—” Xavier swallows. “You’re together.” It’s not like he didn’t notice that no one’s been sleeping in the barn lately. Doc doesn’t say anything for a minute. Xavier glances over at him and sees him examining his hands.

“We are,” Doc finally admits. “But that doesn’t mean…” He looks up and meets Xavier’s eye. “Wynonna has room in her life and her heart for the both of us.”

Xavier’s completely floored by that. “You’d be okay with that?”

Doc bites his lip and looks away, out toward the road. “My mother died of tuberculosis when I was fifteen,” he says quietly. “I had a brother who died. I myself found I had contracted the disease at twenty-one. I never…” He trails off and swallows. Xavier’s pretty sure he knows where this is going. “I never expected I would have children or any family beyond a group of us out for blood. I was ailing all of my adult life, and when that witch finally gave me my health back, she threw me down a well.” He turns and looks Xavier in the eye. “Right now, I have family again for the first time in a very long time. I will do whatever it takes to be a father to that child.”

Xavier puts a hand on Doc’s shoulder. Whatever else Xavier might feel with the whole situation, they’re friends, partners even. “But Doc, that doesn’t mean you settle for Wynonna being with someone else just because you don’t want her to kick you out.”

Doc shakes his head. “There was a woman I was…” He deliberates. “Involved with. One steady woman, for a time. She was a prostitute. We were both drunk most of the time, and neither of us turned down anyone else who came calling. It did not stop my affection for her.”

“Wow.” Xavier doesn’t know what he was expecting, but it wasn’t that. “This isn’t just some fling, though. If Wynonna wants me, I’m here.”

Doc nods. “I’m aware.”

Xavier sits back against the step. “So. What? She just dates both of us?”

Doc shrugs. “If that is what she wants. Hasn’t that been happening anyway?”

“I guess.” Xavier might need some time to think this through. Sure, Doc’s fine with it, but is _he_? Seeing Doc touch Wynonna’s shoulder made him run out of the house like a moody teenager, and he’s only kissed Wynonna twice. If they do this for real, is he going to be able to handle knowing that Doc’s with her too?

“Go ahead and think that over,” Doc says, standing up. “We’ll be inside when you’re ready.”

It takes a minute for Xavier to realize that Doc said _when._ He knows what Xavier’s going to choose. It almost makes him want to say no just out of spite, that rebellious streak that his teachers and the Rangers and Black Badge could never manage to beat out of him.

But he’s not a kid anymore, not some naïve soldier looking to prove himself. He’s not going to make a decision this big out of spite. Not when Wynonna’s on the line. He drops his head to his hands, clutching at his temples for a second.

He likes Doc. And he loves Wynonna. He also knows Wynonna loving Doc isn’t going to stop her from loving him. She’s pretty much already shown that, hasn’t she? Still. Xavier had a picture in his head of what their life together would be like, and Doc was generally just on the side, not front and center. He blows out a long breath.

Then he stands up and goes back inside. Who is he kidding? From the minute Doc mentioned the possibility, there was only one choice for Xavier.

 

“Okay, go back,” Wynonna’s saying when Xavier comes in with dinner. “Click the back arrow. Go back to the timeline.”

“I was reading that,” Doc protests. Wynonna’s leaning on his shoulder where he’s holding the laptop, and she just reached over and changed the webpage.

“We’re doing like, Reader’s Digest version here,” Wynonna says. “ _I_ don’t even know what the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty is, so I doubt it’ll come up much.”

“You would know if you would read this,” Doc mutters. “All the information in the entire world, and you refuse to look at anything without an explosion.”

“Are you guys arguing over Wikipedia again?” Xavier asks, getting plates.

“We can’t even watch movies because I have to explain wars to him,” Wynonna complains.

“Oh, right, you should definitely go to Wikipedia for that instead of asking someone you know and trust who has a knowledge of US military history,” Xavier says. Wynonna rolls her eyes at him.

“Alright, didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, Army man. Just didn’t know if you knew about _all_ the wars,” Wynonna says. “He doesn’t know any wars. Not even the big ones.”

“I know the Civil War,” Doc says mildly. “I believe that was a fairly important one. Though the name is misleading. I also know about the Mexican-American War. My father fought in both.”

“We went to war with Mexico?” Wynonna asks.

“Do you still have that list of the top 100 movies?” Xavier asks. “We can just watch one of those.”

“Dolls, we have to catch him up on _all of pop culture_. All of it,” Wynonna says. “And we have to start at the beginning. He doesn’t know anything.”

“He knows some things,” Xavier defends Doc. “Weren’t you a dentist?”

“I was,” Doc says. “I was recognized for my skill, too, before I became too sick to keep up my offices and had to resort to gambling instead.”

After a beat of silence, Wynonna says, “Well, that’s sad. Maybe you should go back to dental school now. Since you’ve got time.”

“Yes, and then I can offer my services to the demons and hell-beasts we encounter.”

Xavier snorts. No one does dry sarcasm like Doc. “You could download a dental school textbook or something,” Xavier suggests. “See how different things are now.”

“That could be interesting.” Doc keeps his tone casual, but Xavier sees his eyes light up. It’s kind of adorable, actually. Deep down, their hard-drinking, gambling sharp-shooter is a huge nerd.

“A little light reading for when you’re on the couch,” Wynonna says, wiggling her eyebrows and looking toward Xavier. She does that a lot—tests their feelings about the arrangement they’ve got going on. Xavier thought it would be weird, both of them dating the same woman. Loving the same woman.

It’s surprisingly not. The three of them always worked well together, and that seems to extend to this relationship arrangement, too. It’s not like they have a schedule or anything, but Xavier hasn’t felt like he’s not getting enough time with Wynonna. They still get time on their own, but the three of them spend a lot of time together, too. In a lot of ways, their dynamics haven’t changed much.

Doc knows exactly what Wynonna’s doing and just smiles at her. “That would be nice.”

Wynonna frowns a little. They talked the whole thing to death, it felt—going back and forth, a lot of _are you sure_ s and _is this really happening_ s going around the table—but somehow there always seems to be some things left unsaid.

Xavier sighs. “Do we need to leave Wikipedia for the night and have another talk?”

Wynonna looks pained. “You know I hate when we have talks.”

“This is only going to work if we communicate,” Xavier reminds two people who hate communicating, especially about their pasts or feelings or anything else considered a fundamental part of a human relationship. They’re getting a little better, but they still like to drag their feet.

“What is possibly left to communicate?” Doc says under his breath. Wynonna nods, but she leans back over to her couch cushion and pats the one beside her.

“Fine, let’s get this over with,” she says. “These communications would be so much better if I could have whiskey.”

“I may need some to get through this,” Doc says.

“So unfair.”

“How am I possibly the most well-adjusted person in this room?” Xavier says, exasperated. He brings the food with him, because at least it’ll give them all something to do with their hands. “A secret quasi-government organization did illegal experiments on me without my consent and turned me into a goddamn lizard.”

“I thought you were a dragon,” Wynonna says.

“Dragon certainly sounds more impressive,” Doc agrees. Xavier huffs and takes the spot next to Wynonna. They’re annoying sometimes, but he can’t pretend they aren’t entertaining.

Before they can get down to brass tacks, the front door opens and brings a gust of cold air inside. It’s Waverly and Nicole, back from a night out.

“Ooh, movie night?” Waverly asks.

“We were catching Doc up on US history, actually,” Wynonna says right away. Xavier holds in a sigh. Now they definitely won’t be having a discussion, because Waverly is going to get excited about research. Sure enough, she bounces on her heels and even claps her hands together.

“Oh, my God, I can’t believe you started without me!” She squeals. “Let me run upstairs and get the chart I made last night.”

“…You made a chart?” Doc sounds almost faint. Waverly doesn’t stop her mad dash up the stairs to respond.

“It’s color-coded,” Nicole reveals, taking off her coat and settling into an armchair. “We’re gonna need more food. This is going to be a long night.”

Xavier gives Wynonna a dirty look, but she just smiles winningly at him. Or what she thinks is winningly, anyway, and Xavier seems to be particularly susceptible to agreeing with her. He’s pretty sure he sees Doc and Wynonna exchange a sly high-five, but he’s choosing to ignore that. They’ll talk eventually. Those two like to pretend they’re allergic to feelings, but once they get started, they really let it out.

Doc looks overwhelmed from the minute they get started, but he holds his own. He’d never admit defeat, anyway. Xavier can’t imagine having to learn all this. So much has happened since Doc was actually up and running. Everything has changed. He lived most of his life without electricity, and now he has to learn the entire concept of the internet. After two hours, Doc looks almost green. It’s a lot to take in, and they just barely got past the first World War. Wynonna fell asleep before the archduke’s assassination. Shame. She would’ve cared about that part.

“Why don’t we call it a night?” Xavier suggests, flicking his eyes toward Doc. Waverly looks a little disappointed, but she emerges from her haze of research-lust and actually looks at Doc, and then she nods.

“Nicole and I have some stuff to do anyway,” she says.

“Each other,” Wynonna says sleepily. “Hoo-ah.”

“Yep,” Nicole chirps. “Right on the money.”

“I guess I brought that on myself.” Wynonna groans as she tries to sit up. “Why does this kid keep kicking me? I haven’t even done anything to it yet. My back is killing me.”

She looks a little pale. Doc catches Xavier’s eye, frowning worriedly. Doc is paranoid about every hiccup, but Xavier has to admit he’s not completely comfortable with Wynonna’s pallor right now, either. He’s never been around any pregnant women. He doesn’t know what’s normal or not.

“How are your feet?” Waverly asks. “Not swollen?”

Wynonna looks down at the appendages in question. “I don’t know. I don’t pay that much attention to my feet.”

“Well, start,” Waverly admonishes. “Swollen ankles and feet are no joke during pregnancy.”

“Yes, doctor,” Wynonna snarks.

“How about a warm bath?” Xavier suggests. “Maybe that would help.”

“Mm, sounds great.”

Doc gets the water ready and Xavier gives Wynonna a look. “You’re not faking how tired you are just to get out of a serious feelings talk, are you?”

Wynonna presses a hand to her chest dramatically. “Dolls, would I ever exploit a medical situation to get out of something I don’t want to do?”

“Yes,” Doc and Xavier both answer at the same time.

“Jeez, girl can’t catch a break around here. But no. Go ahead and talk away while I’m bathing.”

Xavier rolls his eyes. “If you’re not feeling well, I’m not going to make you feel worse by making you think about emotions.”

Wynonna laughs a little. “Aw, you say the sweetest things. I’m just tired. I have that appointment tomorrow anyway. You’re coming, right?”

“You want me to?” Xavier asks. He’s asking Wynonna, but he looks over at Doc, too.

“I asked you, didn’t I?” Wynonna says.

“You will be an important part of this child’s life,” Doc points out. It makes Xavier sweat a little. They should probably discuss that, too. Is he going to be this kid’s step-father? Uncle? Unnamed random guy who sometimes shares a bed with the kid’s mom?

“You definitely have that face on that means a feelings talk is happening,” Wynonna says. “Have at it.”

“Doc?” Xavier checks.

Doc waves a hand. “Fine.”

Xavier waits until Wynonna’s situated comfortably in the tub. He’s sitting on the closed toilet lid and Doc’s perched on the edge of the bathtub, long legs stretched out across the bathroom.

It feels a little surreal to be having a relationship conversation with his demon-hunting girlfriend and her immortal other lover in the bathroom while her pregnant belly pokes above the water, but this is his life now. And he’s a lizard or something, so he doesn’t really have room to talk.

“Okay, first off, can we talk about the baby for a second?” Xavier asks. Wynonna and Doc both relax.

“The baby’s fine,” Wynonna says. “Probably. I mean, if it could grow inside me next to all that whiskey and a goo-demon, nothing could hurt it.”

“I just mean, me and the baby. Is that—what is that going to be?”

“You mean will you be Daddy Dolls?” Doc asks. “I see no reason why not.”

“Unless you’re not sticking around,” Wynonna says. Xavier glares at her.

“You know I am. I just didn’t know if that’s what you wanted.”

“Dolls.” Wynonna looks him straight in the eye. “If I’m this kid’s parent, you’re this kid’s parent. Okay? You can be Daddy Dolls all you want. Maybe I’ll just let you two raise the kid and be Aunt Wynonna who drinks too much.”

Doc and Xavier share a look. For all Wynonna’s fear and frustration, she’s not going to leave the kid to anyone else. She has a sense of duty a mile long, if nothing else.

“Okay,” Xavier says. “Oh, wow. Daddy Dolls.”

“Maybe we could work on that name,” Wynonna suggests. “Sounds a little dirty.”

“What else did you need to discuss?” Doc gets them back on track. If Xavier didn’t know better, he’d think Doc _wanted_ to have this talk. But more likely Doc just wants to get it over with quickly.

“Wynonna, Doc and I are more than happy with things right now. Right?” He checks with Doc. Doc smiles softly.

“Very much so.”

“But it seems like _you’re_ not as happy as you could be.”

That hangs in the air between them for a moment. Wynonna sighs and shifts, sloshing the water around. “Uh, I am?”

“My, that was convincing,” Doc mutters.

“I just…” Wynonna bites her lip. “Sometimes it’s like…why can’t we all be there, you know? When I’m with Doc I think about what Dolls would say right now, and when I’m with Dolls I think of things I want to tell Doc, and I just, uh.” She shrugs. “I like when it’s all three of us. Like right now. Or, well, you know. Other times. I can think of other times that I’d be into all three of us together.”

Xavier has no response to that. Genuinely none at all. He’s not sure his brain is still working.

“Wynonna,” Doc says gently. “You might be asking for more than the Deputy Marshall can give.”

“What?” Xavier says, insulted enough to get his brain going again. Doc thinks _Xavier_ would have a problem? Doc’s the one from the 1800s. “Why would it be more than _I_ can give? Why not you?”

Doc raises his eyebrows. “I am not unaccustomed to men.”

Xavier’s eyes practically bug out of his head. “ _What_?”

“Dude, get with the program, he and Wyatt totally had a thing,” Wynonna says. “Which adds a certain creepiness to all this, might I add. But I got over it.”

“Not just Wyatt,” Doc adds. “Though he and I were closest of anyone I was with.” His eyes are faraway, the way they get sometimes when he’s remembering things or brooding. Xavier hates that look. It reminds him that Doc’s had to go through a ton of shit.

“Wow,” Xavier says. “I’m sorry, Doc. I didn’t know about that. That’s gotta make everything about your whole situation harder.”

Doc lets out a long breath. “Luckily, I am adapting. And finding things I appreciate about living now.” He smiles at Wynonna. And then he…turns that smile on Xavier. And Xavier’s stomach gives a funny jolt. He needs to sit down.

He’s already sitting down. Right.

“I…” Xavier swallows. “Um.”

“You broke him,” Wynonna scolds Doc. “Really, one smile? Weak. But seriously, calm down. You don’t have to hop on his dick tonight.”

“Good Lord, Wynonna,” Doc scolds her right back. “Let the man breathe.”

“Look, Dolls, I’m not saying this is a must-have, okay? If that’s not something you’re even possibly into, don’t worry about it. I’m so happy. I promise.” Wynonna’s earnest and being serious, but it’s a little hard to take her seriously while she’s in the bathtub. This was a terrible setting for this talk. Especially since Xavier feels like he just got beat over the head.

“I agree,” Doc says.

“I didn’t say that,” Xavier says, because he didn’t.

“You didn’t say anything,” Wynonna points out.

“What are you saying now?” Doc asks. He looks…hopeful. Hopeful that Xavier wants him? God, what is his life? _Doc Holliday_ wants to jump his bones. Maybe. They didn’t actually establish that part.

“I’m…not unaccustomed to men either?” Xavier tries. “Well. No, that’s not—I am unaccustomed to men. Technically. But not. In my head.”

“You have not been with a man but have thought about it?” Doc clarifies. Xavier gulps and nods.

“I’ve never admitted that.” He never realized any of those thoughts were attraction until just now. He just thought everyone wanted to watch the other guys in their platoon work out shirtless.

“Ever?” Wynonna asks. “Wow, Dolls. This is really big.” It’s a mark of how serious she’s taking this conversation that she doesn’t make a joke off that comment. Xavier’s actually kind of touched.

“I need time to think this over,” Xavier warns. “This is a lot for one day.”

“Of course,” Doc says. “Take all the time you need.”

“Right now I need a donut,” Wynonna declares.

“I’ll go,” Xavier offers, up off the toilet like a shot. “I’ll get it. What kind do you want? I’ll go get you one.”

“ _We_ broke him,” Wynonna says mournfully. “What happened to Cool Hand Dolls?”

“We have to show Doc that movie,” Xavier says absently. “I’ll be back.”

As he flees, he hears Wynonna say, “Well, maybe now he’ll think twice before another touchy-feely talk.”

“Wynonna,” Doc admonishes. Then Xavier is running into the kitchen to find donuts. He knows there are some here, because there are always donuts in the kitchen. It was already a pretty safe bet before, but pregnant Wynonna eats even more donuts than regular Wynonna.

He leans against the counter and breathes for a second. Okay, so, holy shit. That is definitely not how he expected that conversation to go. Maybe a teeny-tiny, now-guilty part of him was hoping Wynonna would cut Doc loose. Is he disappointed? He closes his eyes to do a little self check-in. His mandatory therapist after his second tour taught him that, and he usually doesn’t bother, but right now he’s freaking out and willing to try anything.

He’s a little scared. Kind of weirded out. Would he even be into kissing Doc? What would kissing Doc even feel like? He has a mustache. A really bushy one. His lips do look pretty soft. But they wouldn’t be as soft as Wynonna’s. Would they? Actually, Wynonna’s not all that great at moisturizing, so maybe they would. Waverly took Doc to the mall and bought him about a million grooming products and apparently gave him some kind of hygiene talk that scared him into using all of them religiously. Doc’s lips might be _softer_ than Wynonna’s.

It’s not like Xavier hasn’t noticed the way Doc talks to him sometimes. It can be…suggestive. He used to think Doc was sort of flirting with him just to throw him off his game. And then they became friends and Xavier just thought it was a Doc quirk, like he talks that way to all his friends. Doc found a way to manufacture experimental and definitely illegal drugs for Xavier. Xavier just thought some flirting came hand-in-hand with essential, humanity-saving drugs, and he never had any opposition to that. He liked it, even. Now he feels kind of dumb for not realizing sooner.

Nowhere in the swirl of emotion inside him is there disappointment.

Alright, so there’s that. Xavier needs to work out. Nothing clears his head like a good sweat. An image of the three of them working up a good sweat pops into his head and he jumps a little. Well, that would certainly be a good workout. He’s not sure he’s quite that flexible, though.

“What are you doing?”

Xavier yelps and feels his eyes start to go reptilian. Jeremy and Rosita are still working on the combination of ingredients in his drugs to keep him in check, and Jeremy’s been trying to convince him to practice bringing the lizard part of him out to practice. But Xavier swallows hard and breathes deep. He doesn’t need to destroy the kitchen. Again.

“Sorry,” Waverly says. “You’re normally really observant.”

“I was looking for donuts for Wynonna,” Xavier says, which is technically true.

Waverly raises her eyebrows. “Were you sniffing them out? Because your eyes were closed.”

“I was…meditating.”

“Oh.” Waverly apparently just accepts that answer, which is one of the things Xavier loves about her. “Sorry to disturb you.” She grabs a glass and fills it with water and turns to leave.

“Waverly,” Xavier stops her. He bites his lip. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course, Dolls. What’s up? Oh, no, is it Wynonna? Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong,” Xavier assures her. “I have a question about you. And Nicole. Kind of.”

Waverly narrows her eyes. “Dolls, don’t you dare be gross. I trusted you! You so do not seem the type to—”

“No!” Xavier cuts her off. “Sorry, that’s not what I meant.”

Now Waverly looks cautious. “Okay. What’s up?”

Xavier has to pace. It’s how he thinks. Kinetic energy and all that. “Um…you were straight before Nicole, right?”

Waverly huffs. “No, Dolls, I wasn’t. I _thought_ I was straight before Nicole, though there were some definite signposts I ignored along the way.”

“Sorry. That’s what I meant.” Xavier runs a hand over his head. “Did you freak out? When you realized…you weren’t?”

Waverly stands completely still for at least five seconds. “Dolls. Are you telling me something?”

“No,” Xavier says quickly, way too defensively. “I am not telling anybody anything. I’m just asking a general question.”

Waverly knows that’s not true, obviously. There are probably some martians up in space who know that. But Waverly Earp is one of the kindest people in the world, so her face goes soft and gentle and she sits down at the table.

“I did freak out. And I ignored my feelings for a while and kept telling myself everything was just the way it had always been and that I couldn’t be happier. But then everything was getting so crazy and I was realizing that my life really is going to be short and if I don’t grab whatever makes me happy, then…” She shrugs. “What’s the point?”

Xavier nods. “And Nicole is what makes you happy.”

“Nicole does make me happy, but I’m also happier knowing myself and embracing myself.” She smiles at him and stands up. She gives him a hug that takes him by surprise, but he gets with the program and hugs her back. “Whatever happens, Dolls, we all love you and want you around. So one way or another, stick around, okay?”

Xavier blinks. “I’m not breaking up with Wynonna,” he tells her. “Anything would be…in addition to Wynonna.”

Waverly’s eyes go big. “Oh! Okay. Oh.”

“Hypothetically,” Xavier adds.

Waverly nods, eyes still giant in her face. “Hypothetically,” she echoes. “Well, um, goodnight.”

Great. Now he broke Waverly. It’s like a chain reaction.

Xavier drums his fingers on the countertop. He doesn’t have to decide anything right now. He can sleep on it tonight. He can sleep it on for a bunch of nights. Doc and Wynonna told him to take his time thinking it over. But Wynonna’s not going to be patient when it comes to her donuts, so Xavier grabs the box of powdered donuts in the cupboard and squares his shoulders. He’s definitely faced scarier situations than the woman he loves and…Doc. He shies away from adding any descriptors there.

Wynonna’s out of the bath and settled into bed. And Doc is in the bed with her. It’s a big bed. There would probably be room for Xavier. He stares at the empty space for a while.

“Come on, Dolls, you know I only bite when you ask me to,” Wynonna says. She makes grabby hands for the donuts.

“Sorry,” he mutters, blushing a little. What is he, fourteen? He’s being ridiculous. He walks across the room and gives Wynonna her donuts. He leans down and kisses her chastely. “Maybe I should go.” He hasn’t looked at Doc even one time since he came back in.

“You could stay,” Wynonna says.

“I can go,” Doc offers. He must actually like Xavier to make that offer. Oh, God.

“You’re already here,” Xavier says.

“As are you,” Doc points out.

“I mean, you’re already _there_.”

Doc sighs. “Deputy Marshal, we are trying to take our cues from you but you have turned your poker face back on. What would you like to happen right now?”

Xavier’s blushing again. Has Doc always sounded like that when he calls Xavier _Deputy Marshal_? So…sultry? Is he doing that now on purpose, or is Xavier just reading into it? He finally looks up and meets Doc’s eyes. Doc has his eyebrows raised, but otherwise his face is pretty blank. Seems a little hypocritical for him to call out Xavier’s poker face. Doc doesn’t have his hat on. Of course he doesn’t—he’s in bed. Why would he wear his hat to bed?

Well, he might if someone asked him to.

Xavier’s going to combust. He’s going to open his mouth and breathe fire just out of sheer confusion and embarrassment.

“I don’t know,” he admits, frustrated.

“You want to lie down?” Wynonna asks. Xavier looks at Doc.

“I will do or not do whatever you want,” Doc promises softly. “I will leave if that’s what you want.”

Xavier bites his lip. This is Doc, who’s immortal and was maybe not always a good guy, who made a deal with a witch and with demons. This is Doc, who made Lucado apologize to Xavier and got him out of that cage and brought his drugs. This is Doc, who saw that he maybe wasn’t human and followed him into a fight anyway, who’s fought at his side and at his back and loves Wynonna. And there’s Wynonna, trying to look at him neutrally even though he knows she has an opinion, feet elevated on a pillow and Peacemaker on her nightstand. She has powdered sugar on her lip and no opposition to Xavier maybe being into a guy. One particular guy, anyway.

“Or you’ll stay?” Xavier asks, heart pounding. He sees Wynonna break into a grin. Doc’s smile is smaller, softer, but he’s happy, too, and Xavier has butterflies in his stomach.

“I would be happy to stay,” Doc says.

Xavier gets in bed next to Wynonna. Sharing a bed with two people isn’t any harder than sharing with one. It’s kind of comforting, actually, knowing that if anyone tried to get in and hurt them, Doc Holliday, the fastest shot in the world, is there to take care of it. Xavier closes his eyes and actually sleeps, deep and restful, and in the morning he wakes up and he kisses Wynonna and they eat breakfast.

And, he finds out soon enough, Doc’s lips _are_ softer than Wynonna’s.

“Oh, wow,” Nicole says after unexpectedly walking into the kitchen and seeing Xavier and Doc kissing while Wynonna sits at the table and finishes their pancakes. “Is this house like some kind of gay incubator or something?”

Given their lives, it’s not outside the realm of possibility, and Xavier can’t help but laugh. Nicole looks pretty proud of her joke, so Xavier doesn’t tell her that’s only half the reason he’s laughing. The other half is giddiness at this new thing, this bubble in his chest from finding this new facet of himself and embracing it.

And besides. Doc’s mustache _does_ tickle.


End file.
